Device for cleaning out the bottoms of grain elevators



June 9, 1953 JONES 2,641,357

DEVICE FOR CLEANING OUT THE BOTTOMS 0F GRAIN ELEVATORS Filed Dec. 5, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR A r LESTER JONES ATTORNEYS June 9, 1953 L. JONES 2,641,357

DEVICE FOR CLEANING OUT THE BOTTOMS OF GRAIN ELEVATORS Filed Dec. 5, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 -INVENTOR LESTER JONES ATTORNEYS Patented June 9, 1953 DEVICE FOR CLEANING OUT THE BOTTOMS OF GRAIN ELEVATORS Lester Jones, Canton, Ill., assignor to Pabst Brewing Company, Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation Application December 5, 1951, Serial No. 260,005

Claims. 1

This invention appertains to the handling of grain, and more particularly to a novel cleaning attachment for a grain elevator.

In the handling of grain by bucket elevators, there is a clearance between the bottom wall or pan of the elevator housing and the elevator buckets. Consequently, a certain small portion of grain lies in an inactive state on this bottom wall or pan. If this grain is not periodically removed, there is danger that the same will spoil or become infected and contaminate the grain passing through the elevator. This condition is recognized, and provisions have been made to remove the inactive grain, but in all constructions with which I am familiar, it is necessary to shut down the elevator to effect the cleaning thereof. Consequently, there is a tendency to put off the cleaning of the elevator as long as possible.

One of the primary objects of my invention, is the provision of means for permitting the effective and quick removal of the inactive grain from the bottom of the pan of a grain elevator, without the necessity of shutting down the elevator.

Another salient object of my invention is the provision of a grain elevator pan having guides for slidably receiving a push member operable from either side of the elevator and embodying equidistantly spaced scraper and closure blocks, the entire construction being such that upon movement of the push member in one direction, one block will function to push the inactive grain out of the pan at one endthereof and thereafter act as a closure for said end at the termination of its stroke; a following block functioning to close the opposite end of the pan, a similar action taking place when the push member is actuated in a reverse direction.

A further object of my invention is the provision of novel stops for limiting the movement of the push member in either direction, and for properly locating the blocks relative to the ends of the pan for forming the closures.

A further, important object of my invention is to provide novel means for engaging certain of the blocks, when the push member is at rest so as to prevent working out of grain from the boot of the elevator.

A further important object of the invention,

is to provide an improved device of the above character, which will be durable and efficient in use, one that will be simple and easy to manufacture and one which can be incorporated with the boot of an existing grain elevator at a small cost. With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement and formation of parts as will be more specifically described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which drawings,

Figure l is a vertical sectional view through the boot or lower end of a grain elevator showing the novel pan and push member incorporated therewith, the section being taken on the line I-l of Figure 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional View taken on the line- 2-2 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 3 is a top plan View of the push member removed from the pan, parts of the view being broken away to illustrate structural detail.

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view through the boot and its pan, the section being taken on the line 44 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 5 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 55 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows and'illustrating the guides carried by the pan for the push member.

Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary longitudinal sectional view through the push member illust'rating one of the stops, the section being taken on the line 6--6 of Figure 3.

Figure '7 is an enlarged detail sectional view through the central scraper and closure block, the section being taken on the line 1-1 of Figure 3, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring to the drawings in detail, wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, the letter E generally indicates the lower end or boot of a grain elevator and the same includes side walls l0 and end walls I I. An endless bucket conveyor l2 travels through the boot and is trained about an idle pulley I3 or sprocket wheel, as the case may be. Secured to the lower ends of the side walls ID, are the longitudinally extending elevator boot angle bars M, to which is attached the pan I5. The angle bars M can be welded, or otherwise fastenedto the side walls III.

In accordance with my invention, the pan I5 is preferably formed from stainless steel, and includes a fiat bottom wall It, and upstanding side walls ll. Formed on the upper edges of the side walls are outwardly extending flanges l8 and these flanges are bolted, as at l9, to the angle bars 14. The opposite ends of the bottom wall [6 are bent downwardly to provide guide lips 20, for a purpose, which will later appear. The pan depends fromthe side Walls I0 of the boot and the opposite ends of the pan are open and the bottom walls l5 terminates slightly beyond the side walls and the end walls H of the boot. The side walls I! of the pan have formed thereon oppositely extending guide arms or rails 2|, which extend a material distance beyond the end Walls ll of the boot. These arms or guide rails have their outer ends flared outwardly in opposite directions to form guide lips 22, the purpose of which will also appear. Formed on the upper edges of the guide arms or rails 2 l, are outwardly extending flanges 23, and these flanges have welded or otherwise secured thereto, horizontally disposed guide plates 24. The outer ends of the guide plates are upturned to provide guide lips 25.

Slidably mounted in the pan is the novel push member 26, best shown in Figures 1 and 3. The push member 26, includes a longitudinally extending rod 21, having formed thereon or secured thereto spaced transversely extending end blocks 28 and 29 and an intermediate block 30. The end blocks 28 and 29 are spaced equal distances apart from the intermediate block 39. The opposite terminals of the rod 21 have formed thereon, or secured thereto, manipulating handles 3!. With the exception of certain parts, the pusher member .25 is preferably formed from stainless steel. All of the :blocks 28, 29 and 30 are con-- structed substantially the same, with the exception that the intermediate block Si) is .a considerably greater width than the end blocks 29 and 28. All of the blocks have fastened to their upper faces, rubber cushion or like pads 32. These pads can be bonded to steel plates 33 and the pads and their plates are firmly secured to the blocks by machine screws 34.

As intimated, the push member 245, is slidably mounted in the pan 1.5 for movement in either direction, and the guide rails 2| and the plates 24 function as guiding means for the end blocks 28 and 2.9 during the manipulation of the push member. The guide lips 22 and 25 form a flaring mouth or entrance throat for the end blocks to the guides during the movement of the push member. The guide lips 20 insure the movement of the blocks properly onto the upper surface of the bottom wall lb of the pan [5, as will be. more fully described. The blocks 28 and are so spaced relative to one another that when the pusher member is in one of its positions, see Figure 1, the same rest on the upper surface of the bottom wall lb of the pan and function asclosure members for the opposite ends of the pan. The blocks 30 and 29 are similarly spaced, so that when the push member is operated in a reverse direction, they will function as closure member for the opposite ends of the pan.

Considering that the push member 26 is in the position shown in Figure 1, and it is desired to remove the inactive grain lying in the pan below the elevator conveyor, then an operator takes hold of the handles 3| at the right hand side of the push member and the push member is bodily slid and shifted to the left, as shown in dotted lines in Figure 1. The intermediate block 30, now functions as a scraper and travels along the upper surface of the pan from the right hand side thereof to the left. The block 28 moves away from the pan and the inactive grain is pushed out of the left hand side of the pan. The push member is actuated until the intermediate block 23 occupies the position originally occupied by the end block 28, and this block 30 now functions as a closure for the left hand side of the pan. The end block 29 at this time, has moved to the position formerly occupied by the block 30, and this block 29 now functions as a closure for the right hand side of the pan. When it is desired to again clean out the pan, the push member is then actuated to the right and is returned to the position shown in Figure 1.

In order to prevent the working out of grain from the elevator housing above the pan, I provide sliding gates 35. These gates are mounted guides 36 carried by the side walls ll of the boot. Coil springs 31 are provided for normally urging these gates into intimate contact with the rubber pads 32 carried by the upper faces of the blocks of the push member 26. As illustrated, the springs 37 can be of the contractile type and have their opposite ends secured respectively to the gates and to the brackets fastened to the side walls of the boot. When the push member is to be actuated, the gates can be slightly raised against the tension of the contractile spring 3'! and held in such raised position by spring latches 38. The lower ends of the latches are of a hook shape and can be snapped over the upper ends of the gates when the gates are elevated. If preferred, the spring latches 38 can be mounted on pivot pins 39 so that the latches can be swung out of the way, if it is desired to raise the gates to a full open position for cleaning out the entire bottom oi the boot, should this be desirable.

To limit the sliding movement of the push member 25 in either one of its two directions, the blocks 28 and 29 can be provided with upstanding stop brackets 40. The brackets can be secured in place on the blocks by machine screws 4!. When the push member is actuated from one side to the other, one stop bracket 4!) will contact an adjacent gate 35, .and hence stop further movement of the push member.

From the foregoing description, it can be seen that a simple, yet effective means is provided for cleaning out the bottom of an elevator boot without shutting down the operation of the elevator.

Changes in details may be made without departing from the spirit or the scope of this invention, but what I claim as new is:

1. In an elevator having a boot and an endless conveyor movable therethrcugh; a pan attached to the bottom of the boot in spaced relation to the conveyor having its opposite ends open, and a pusher member slidably associated with the pan including equidistantly spaced end closure blocks and an intermediate combined scraper and closure block, said pusher member being operable from either side of the boot for moving the intermediate scraper .and closure block over the upper surface of the pan from one open end of the pan to the other open end of the pan to form a closure for said last mentioned open end, one of said end closure blocks forming a closure for the other open end of the pan.

2. In an elevator as defined in claim 1, and said end closure blocks being equidistantly spaced from said scraper and closure block.

3. In an elevator as defined in claim 1, and operating handles on the opposite ends of the pusher member, said end closure blocks being equidistantly spaced from the scraper and closure block.

4. In an elevator as defined in claim 1, and said closure blocks being equally spaced from the scraper and closure block, said scraper and closure block having a greater width than the closure blocks.

5. In an elevator as defined in claim 1, and means carriedby the boot for intimate contact with certain of the blocks, when said blocks are in position for closing the ends of the pan whereby to prevent working out of material from the boot.

6. In an elevator as defined in claim 1, and spring urged gates engaging the upper surfaces of certain blocks when said blocks are in position for closing the openings at the opposite ends of the pan.

7. In an elevator as defined in claim 1, spring urged gates engaging the upper surfaces of certain blocks when said blocks are in position for closing the openings at the opposite ends of the pan, and means for holding the gates in a raised position above the blocks during operation of the pusher member.

8. In an elevator having a boot and an endless conveyor traveling through said boot; a pan carried by the bottom of the boot having its opposite ends open, and a pusher member slidably associated with the pan including a longitudinally extending rod, end closure blocks on said rod, and an intermediate combined scraper and closure block on said rod, said intermediate block being movable over the upper surface of the pan upon the sliding of the pusher member from one side of the boot to the other, said end closure blocks being equidistantly spaced from the intermediate scraper and closure block, one end block and the intermediate closure block closing the open opposite ends of the pan when the pusher member is at the end of a working stroke.

9. In an elevator as defined in claim 8, and means for limiting the sliding movement of the pusher member in either direction.

10. In an elevator as defined in claim 8, and spring pressed gates engaging the blocks closing said openings when the pusher member is at the end of a working stroke, and all of said blocks having cushion pads on their upper surfaces for contact with the gates.

LESTER JONES.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 697,502 Lemmon Apr. 15, 1902 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 14,405 Great Britain July 7, 1908 

